From time to time Corinne selects a photo book from her collection and discusses it in a short article.

martinparrfoudationpietervandenboogert

The narrative of WHAT WE WEAR Pieter van den Boogert

"First this happened, and then this, and then this…

This is how we first share narratives as a child. We recount a series of events in the order they occurred. In some ways, this is the most simple way to tell a story and can be the most useful when talking about something complex. For this reason, it is the #narrative structure Pieter van den Boogert used when making “What we wear”. The story deals with the global clothes market. We see the situation in Bangladesh, where the #clothes are produced, the Netherlands where the clothes are used and then Ghana, where they are finally disposed of.

Because of the size and scope of this #story, the simplest possible narrative became the most effective visual strategy. How do you eliminate enough elements of something as complex as the global clothing industry to shape it into a comprehensible story? By being very strict about what is photographed and by making the visual language very tight. This simplicity and cohesiveness is what gives this story and the photobook its natural flow.

The design also enhances this choice of narrative. Pieter’s book used a leporello format, so the pages could be seen both as a double spread and as a panorama. By turning the page, the viewer seamlessly makes a #journey through one country into another. The folding of the book also references children's books, and our initial 'First this happened, and then this, and then this' narrative. After flowing through the book we are compelled to return to the beginning and make the journey again.

Here we have touched upon the resolution of the project, but what is the right preparation needed to begin a making a piece of work like this?" - #CorinneNoordenbos